Whittier, Alaska - Pre-Cruise Recommendations Sought

[What was that?]

We are looking forward to celebrating our anniversary (54th) on Noordam next August, boarding in Whittier and ending in Vancouver. I understand that the way to get to Whittier from Reno, NV is to fly into Anchorage, and that we will have to get a transfer of some sort to Whittier. So, your thoughts about how to do that, as well as where to stay and what to see in Anchorage and/or Whittier will help me with my planning. Since I just made the booking, I am in "survey mode" regarding the pre and post details, and any suggestions you care to offer will be greatly appreciated. Note that we have not truly visited Alaska, only HAL ports-of-call on a couple of prior cruises, so this will be an opportunity to do something new.

You should know that we are not hikers, so HAL "Easy Activity" excursions is what we usually choose. We like up close and personal nature experiences (Juneau whale watch "research" boat tour was awesome!).

[dfilpus]

My first recommendation is to look in the Alaska forum, which will have information from more cruisers than just the HAL cruisers who read this forum.

Anchorage is a mid-sized city. It has a whole range of hotels, restaurants and activities to fit most tastes.

Whittier is a tiny port town. It has very limited resources for hotels/restaurants/car rental/activities.

There are two primary modes of transfer from Anchorage to Whittier: bus or train. HAL will offer transfer options, which may include options of an excursion out of Whittier on embarkation day. 

[vicd1969]

Highly recommend doing the 26 Glacier boat tour from Whittier. Since you aren't looking to do hiking, there is no need to actually stay in Whittier unless you want a better opportunity to board the ship earlier than most passengers.  I would stay in Anchorage or Alyeska and take the train to Whittier for the boat tour, and then the bus the following day (if staying in Anchorage) to board the ship. You can look up the Phillips Cruise's "Getting to Us" page for further details.

[rkacruiser]

How long are you planning on staying in Anchorage or in Alaska itself prior to embarking Noordam?  That will help us with suggestions and ideas.

 

A previous poster suggested visiting the Alaska Message Board and that is an excellent suggestion!

 

There is a web site that has Alaska travel and tour news that might be helpful.  I don't think I am allowed to post its address on CC, however.  Google is your friend, remember.  

[What was that?]

2 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

How long are you planning on staying in Anchorage or in Alaska itself prior to embarking Noordam?  That will help us with suggestions and ideas.

 

A previous poster suggested visiting the Alaska Message Board and that is an excellent suggestion!

 

There is a web site that has Alaska travel and tour news that might be helpful.  I don't think I am allowed to post its address on CC, however.  Google is your friend, remember.  

Good point! My "plan" is to spend a full day or two in Anchorage, but I am flexible. The 26 Glacier Boat Tour sounds fabulous, and if there are any other things to do of similar fabulosity I would work to get them into the "plan."

Yup - I am going to the Alaska MB soon, and our friend Google will undoubtedly lead me to the news you mentioned.

House guests (my dtr and her DH) will keep me from doing much research for a while - but I have plenty of time!

I love CC - everybody is so helpful. Keep it coming!

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, What was that? said:

Good point! My "plan" is to spend a full day or two in Anchorage, but I am flexible. The 26 Glacier Boat Tour sounds fabulous, and if there are any other things to do of similar fabulosity I would work to get them into the "plan."

Yup - I am going to the Alaska MB soon, and our friend Google will undoubtedly lead me to the news you mentioned.

House guests (my dtr and her DH) will keep me from doing much research for a while - but I have plenty of time!

I love CC - everybody is so helpful. Keep it coming!

 

If you will be there for a couple of days, getting a rental car would be advisable for flexibility for your plans.

 

When your house guests depart and you wish for more input, please let us know.

[What was that?]

On 7/8/2020 at 10:05 AM, vicd1969 said:

Highly recommend doing the 26 Glacier boat tour from Whittier.

 

My son-in-law is somewhat susceptible to motion sickness, and I noted that Phillips Cruises and Tours offers an "Exclusive No Seasickness Guarantee". So I have to ask, is the boat ride relatively stable? It seems to be mostly in protected waters, and he is willing to take preventive measures, but the guarantee is pretty intriguing.

On the other hand, the other son-in-law is not a candidate for any cruising. We'll miss him...

[Aquahound]

47 minutes ago, What was that? said:

 

My son-in-law is somewhat susceptible to motion sickness, and I noted that Phillips Cruises and Tours offers an "Exclusive No Seasickness Guarantee". So I have to ask, is the boat ride relatively stable? It seems to be mostly in protected waters, and he is willing to take preventive measures, but the guarantee is pretty intriguing.

On the other hand, the other son-in-law is not a candidate for any cruising. We'll miss him...

 

It's VERY stable.  It's a large catamaran.  I also did this tour and I thought it was excellent. 

 

Also, for a much quicker glacier tour, just outside of Whittier you can do the Portage Glacier cruise.  It's only about an hour and it runs 5 times daily.  It's on a smaller boat, but on a very calm lake, so no motion there either.  

 

I highly recommend a rental car.  The drive down Seward Highway is one of the most beautiful in the country.  Maybe consider a night at Alyeska in Girdwood.  For an up-close look at wildlife, you can visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.  It's right at the intersection where you turn off to go toward Whittier.  

 

For a bite to eat in Whittier, I recommend Varley's Swiftwater.  Their halibut sandwich is to die for.  

[Coral]

Whittier is very, very small. Everyone who lives there lives in the same building. That building also has a grocery store and school. Old military town. 26 Glacier tour is great and very stable. It also docks right next to the cruise pier.

 

I think there is fishing and kayaking also in Whittier. Otherwise, not much.

 

I would not spend the night in Whittier. There is one main hotel and it has had money issues even before COVID-19. Though, those who stay there seem to like it. It is relatively new - it was built in the last 20 years. Much more choices elsewhere.

 

You can drop your bags off at the pier and then go on 26 glacier tour. The ship offers the same tour for turnaround guests so no worries about missing the cruise.

Edited July 12, 2020 by Coral

[Coral]

1 hour ago, Aquahound said:

 

I highly recommend a rental car.  The drive down Seward Highway is one of the most beautiful in the country.  Maybe consider a night at Alyeska in Girdwood.  For an up-close look at wildlife, you can visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.  It's right at the intersection where you turn off to go toward Whittier.  

 

I agree about the drive to Seward (very scenic). I also like the train ride to Seward. If you have a couple of days before the cruise, I would consider spending time in Seward.

[What was that?]

On 7/8/2020 at 2:16 PM, rkacruiser said:

There is a web site that has Alaska travel and tour news that might be helpful.  I don't think I am allowed to post its address on CC, however.  Google is your friend, remember.  

My friend Google is being as helpful as ever, giving me an overflowing basket of goodies. I respect you refraining from posting the name of the other site, but is that because it is a competing site (like trip advisor) or the Alaska state tourism bureau?

[rkacruiser]

24 minutes ago, What was that? said:

My friend Google is being as helpful as ever, giving me an overflowing basket of goodies. I respect you refraining from posting the name of the other site, but is that because it is a competing site (like trip advisor) or the Alaska state tourism bureau?

 

I think it may be a competing site for TripAdvisor.  The Alaska State Tourism Bureau wouldn't care, I don't think.  

[What was that?]

1 minute ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I think it may be a competing site for TripAdvisor.  The Alaska State Tourism Bureau wouldn't care, I don't think.  

Thanks.

[Brewgirl1]

We rented a car at the Anchorage airport and returned it in Whittier. We had a great time site seeing, there is tons to see and do.

 

[What was that?]

Rip van Winkle here - is it 2022 already?

I got our Alaska Airlines flights straightened out (again) this morning and am set to go to Anchorage on 11 August 2022 for a three night pre- with a 14 August departure on Noordam. I also looked into the 26 Glacier cruise tour again and booked it for the 13th with the train transfer included. So that leaves Thursday afternoon (the 11th) and Friday to fill. Since we are not inclined to take long hikes and I don't care to rent a car, I guess we are talking about things to see and do in Anchorage. I'll go back over the suggestions as well as the references and may come back with questions about different options.

We have already done two Viking cruises this year but COVID was not enough under control for the full Viking experience. Fortunately we did not test positive and end our cruise in hotel quarantine, but the possibility of that certainly tempered the experience. Fingers crossed for this one...